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A well-composed abstract is key towards the effective dissemination of one’s research. Many articles are only ever read in abstract form. Anonymous peer-reviewers of your scholarship will see the abstract first. The African Studies Review (ASR) provides abstracts in English, French, and Portuguese, so that you can reach the widest possible global audience. You need to provide one version that is 100-word at least one language.
The abstract is not the first paragraph of an article. An abstract is a complete version or type of your article. This is the article that is entire, covering the major points, content and scope of the argument, the theoretical framework or scholarly point of departure, as well as the methodology, and variety of evidentiary basis. It ought to be in a position to stand alone.
The abstract can be defined as the “elevator pitch” for a possible publication: imagine you’re stuck when you look at the elevator in the ASA Annual Meeting with one of several editors associated with ASR. You will need to provide a summary that hits the high points in about one minute and convinces the editor that it’s worthy of further consideration. It will very concisely summarize the topic, how it fits into the broader literature, the contribution, the investigation strategy, the key findings, and the broader implications.
All articles that are ASR available via multiple digital platforms, which means that your abstract should be searchable online.
We suggest you engage the follow two prevailing methods to optimize your abstracts for search engines. This may greatly boost the chance it will viewed widely and shared.
First, construct a title that is descriptive your article. In search engine terms, the title of each and every article abstract is vital. The search engine assumes that the title offers the words most highly relevant to the content. For this reason it is important to choose a descriptive, unambiguous, and accurate title. By constructing a title to include those terms while it may be tempting to use a quote from an informant or sources, think about how search terms draw in a potential reader who may be looking for your article or your subject area, community, or country of study, and help them. Understand that people search for key phrases, not just single words.
Second, reiterate title that is key when you look at the abstract.
you need to reiterate the phrases that are key this article title within the abstract itself. The number of times that certain words and phrases appear on a webpage has a significant impact in how they are ranked in searches although search engines use proprietary algorithms.
- Draft the AFTER that is abstract have finished the article
- Construct an easy, descriptive and title that is accurate containing all the important search terms and phrases that relate solely to the subject, theme, or argument
- Repeat keywords and phrases and incorporate them smoothly – understand that the audience that is primary a potential reader and not search engines
- Use synonyms or related phrases that are key
- Provide a definite and summary that is concise of content for the chapter
- Describe your methodology and/or data
- Write when you look at the third-person present tense
- Review and revise the abstract before you submit your article for review
- Revise the abstract every right time you revise your article
Things you ought not to do:
- Write the abstract BEFORE the article
- Construct an ambiguous and elaborate title
- Provide general facts – make sure to focus on the core discussions/findings
- Write when you help writing a essay for college look at the first person
- Forget to proof-read for typos
- Review the entire literature
- Write when you look at the past or future tense
- Employ undefined abbreviations or acronyms
- Include citations or references
- Use language that is overly technical
- Use phraseology that is speculative
Illustration of a strong abstract:
“States at War: Confronting Conflict in Africa”
In the early 1990s, democratization dominated discourse on African politics. However fraught with contradictions, processes of political liberalization held out hope for more responsive, accountable government—and some African countries achieved gains that are impressive. But in many components of the continent the outlook at the beginning of the century that is twenty-first decidedly more somber. A rise in violence and war has had consequences that are devastating people and their communities. Newbury examines several ways to confronting these conflicts and highlights three lessons that emerge. In some situations, international involvement is important to finish a war, and carrying this out successfully requires enormous resources. But external assistance cannot follow a single template; it must be adapted to different local dynamics and coordinated with efforts of peace-builders within. Newbury argues that greater support is necessary for efforts to alleviate the problems that spawn wars and violence.
Illustration of a weak abstract:
“Conflict and Chaos: Understanding War, Rethinking Violence”
This short article argues that in the early 1990s democratization dominated African political discourse. I explore the processes of political liberalization and just how they were fraught with contradictions, even though they held out a cure for more responsive, accountable government. I identify some African countries that achieved gains that are impressive. But it has been argued by other scholars (Schmidt 2007; Jones 2005; Asante 1996) that the outlook at the start of the century that is twenty-first be decidedly more somber. A rise in violence and war has had overdetermining ramifications broadly. I shall examine approaches that are several confronting these conflicts and I will highlight three lessons that emerge. In a few situations, international involvement could be important to end a war, and achieving this successfully may require enormous resources. But assistance that is external follow an individual template; it should be adapted to various local dynamics and coordinated with efforts of peace-builders within. The author cites various data to argue that greater support will become necessary for efforts to alleviate the conditions that spawn wars and violence.